The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-12-24
Aoetrg.
,e Back Log or, Uncle Ned,s Little Game,
BY ISsEs nAsDoLrn.

- A%,-'
It was rule at Thornton Hall
Unbroken from Colonial days,
That holiday at Christmas tide
Was measured by the Christmas blazei
For till the backlog burned in two,
The darkies on the place were free
To dance and laugh and eat and drink,
And give themselves to jolity.
And mighty were the logs they brought
OF weight that six stout men might bear
All gnarled and kuotten, slow to burn;
For Christmas comes but once year,
Old Ned had cut the log that year, ~
Old Ned, the fiddler, far renowned,
Who played at every country dance
That happened thirty miles around
He cut the log for days his face ~
Showed CLEANS of merriment and cram;
He often went behind the house Azi
And leaned against the wall and laughed,
And called the other darkies round
And whispered to them in the ear,
And loud the ringing laughter broke;
For Christmas comes but ones year.
At twilight upon Christmas Eve
The log was borne on shoulders strong
ofmen who marked their cadence steps
with music as they came along; i
And Ned, with air of high command,
Came marching at the head ofall, a
As he had done for thirty years, ~
On Christmas Eve at Thornton Hall.
He led the chorus as they marched,
The voices ringing loud and clear
From lusty throats and happy hearts;
For Christmas comes hut once year.
Though briskly blazed at Christmas Eve
That fire with flames and embers bright, q
Until the antique fireplace lit
The panelled walls with rudy light
Although the spacious chimney roared
Like woodlands in autumnal gales
And lion andirons of bronze t1if
Were sed-hot in their names and tails
The backlog. incombustible,
Lay quite unkindled in the rear,
Or only slightly scorched and charred:
For Christmas comes but once year.
Wide open swung the great hall door
Before the east was gray with dawn.
And sleighs with argosies of girls
Came jingling up across the lawn;
Came youths astride of prancing steeds,
Came cousins to the tenth remove,
With cousin greetings by the sweet a.
Lip service that cousins love.
The silver tankard went around
To every lip with brave good cheer,
According to the ancient rites:
For Christmas comes but once year.
They feasted high at Thornton Hall,
The Christmas reyel lasted long;
They danced the old Virginia reels,
And chanted many jovial song.
The old folks prosed; the young made love,
They played the romps of olden days
They told strange tales of ghost and witch,
While sitting round the chimney blaze.
But though the pile oflightwood knots
Defied the frosty atmosphere,
The backlog still held bravely out
For Christmas comes but once agar.
And at the quarter merry ran
The iddle's scrape, the banjo's twang;
How rhythmic beat the happy feet,
How rolicksome the songs they sang.
No work at all for hands to do,
But work abundant for the jaws,
And good things plenty smoking hot
Made laughter come in great yaw-haws,
They frolicked early frolicked late,
And freely flowed the grog fear,
According to the settled rule:
For Christmas comes but once year.
So passed the merry Christmas week,
And New Years morning came and passed;
The reyel ceased, the guests went home;
The backlog burned in two at last.
And then old master sent for Ned,
Still mellow with protracted grog,
And asked him where in Satan's name
He picked him out that fire-prooflog;
And Ned with all that dignity
That drink confers contrived to speak,
81 tux and cut blaek-gum log
And soaked it nine days in de creek.
fears 1t was a wikid thing,
I'm feared to meet de oberseer;
But den you must remember, sab,
Dat Christmas comes but once year."